I don’t see myself at LA 2028, says basketball gold medallist LeBron James after US win in Paris

PARIS – LeBron James, who helped the United States defeat France in the men’s basketball final on Aug 10, said he could not imagine himself playing in Los Angeles in 2028.

Asked if he would contemplate playing in the next Olympics on US soil, the 39-year-old said: “No, I can’t see myself playing in LA, but I also didn’t see myself playing in Paris.

“Four years from now, no, I can’t see myself (playing at the Olympics).”

James, the Los Angeles Lakers star who is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of basketball, had 14 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, two steals and a block. The Olympic title in Paris is his third.

The US won their fifth straight men’s basketball crown, holding off a battling France 98-87 to take their tally of Olympic golds to 17.

Unlike James, French star Victor Wembanyama said the defeat at the Bercy Arena in Paris would serve as motivation to win gold in Los Angeles.

“We can’t take this for granted. In a tournament like this, things can switch in a moment.

“The games were really high intensity, and we could have lost by 20 points, but we kept fighting,” said the 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs centre.

“I will be going for gold in four years’ time.”

In a rematch of the Tokyo Games final in 2021, James and the US team stacked with National Basketball Association (NBA) stars once again proved too much for France, despite the efforts of sensational NBA Rookie of the Year Wembanyama.

France sliced a 14-point deficit to three with 3min 4sec to play on Wembanyama’s put-back dunk, but Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry drilled a three-pointer – one of four from him with less than three minutes remaining – and the US relentlessly powered to the finish.

Curry finished with eight three-pointers – including a rainbow over a leaping Wembanyama – and led the US scoring with 24 points.

“You just simply marvel,” James said of Curry. “Having him on your side, you just try to get stops and figure out other ways on the other end but keep finding him, keep getting him the ball.”

Curry said of his late-game heroics: “I was just trying to settle us down.”

“All we wanted to do was get a good shot,” he said. “It had been a while since we had a good possession.

“(Finally) the momentum was on our side. At that point, your mind goes blank. You don’t really care about setting or the scenario or anything. It’s just a shot.”

Kevin Durant and Devin Booker added 15 points apiece.

For Durant, it was a US men’s record fourth Olympic gold. And Curry, a four-time NBA champion, claimed his first in his maiden Olympic appearance.

“There’s a lot of relief,” Curry said. “It wasn’t easy but, damn, I’m excited, man. This is everything that I wanted it to be and more, so I’m excited.”

Wembanyama had his best offensive game of the Olympics, scoring 26 points. Guerschon Yabusele added 20.

Earlier on Aug 10, Serbia secured bronze with a dominant 93-83 victory over World Cup champions Germany.

Three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic posted a triple double of 19 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to lead Serbia, who lost 95-91 to the US in the semi-finals. Vasilije Micic also scored 19 points. REUTERS